The Point Of Homework
by only-harry
Summary: This is a try at a serious fic. Try being the operative word. It's tradgedy because of my pathetic copy of JKR's style. Tragic.


**The Point of Homework.**

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters and even the ship basically belongs to J.K.Rowling. And obviously she thinks of much better passwords. It's really hard.

_The Customary Row_

"There! Checkmate!" cried Harry triumphantly. Hermione's eyes snapped off her work, despite all her better judgement. Harry beat Ron? It was barely possible.

"What?" said Ron in disbelief, "How- oh. Um, actually Harry that's only a check. See, if I move my King here … I win." Hermione came over to look.

"He's right Harry. But it was a pretty close match. Better luck next time." she said sympathetically. Turning to Ron she said much more coldly, " Could I have a word with you please Ron? Alone?" Ron was caught in a mad sort of panic. He couldn't string to words together in Hermione's presence anymore, and in realising what caused this (with Harry's help), he felt faced with a kind of panic that she could read his mind or tell how he felt if he talked to her too much.

"B-b-but I was going to play … " his pathetic pleas of 'another game' trailed off as he quailed under Hermione's glare and mumbled humbly, "Ok then." and followed her out of the portrait hole.

"Earmuffs on every-one! Here comes another shouting match." Fred announced loudly over the common room.

"My god Ron, you are so pathetic! Why can't you just let him win for once?" Hermione shouted, exasperated.

"What? Why should I? Fred and George have both beaten me, and Harry has beaten them so he should be perfectly capable of beating me!" Ron retaliated, outraged. It seemed that he managed to find his tongue with her when that were fighting and, as he reminded himself, this was not a blessing.

"You are such an idiot! They beat you when you were about three and anyway, **they let him win!**"

"… oh …Well that just shows they don't have any faith in him! I wouldn't let anybody win unless they were really really hopeless!" Instantly Ron regretted his words as he remembered their fourth year, when he and Harry weren't talking and he played a match against Hermione and let her win. She knew because of his obvious lack of subtlety had confronted him about it. He said he simply wanted to know what it was like to lose. It seemed Hermione was remembering that as well because tears were welling up in her eyes. Ron was horrified. " Hermione, I didn't mean-"

"Are you sure? It sounded like you meant it to me!" she said harshly and turned to run down the corridor. Ron swore loudly, cursing his big, stupid mouth.

"Now that's no way to speak!" the Fat Lady reprimanded primly. " But that could have gone better. If you do love her I would advise _going after _her."

"It's not really any of your business is it? So if you don't mind I think I'll go into the common room now. Chocolate liqueurs."

"No. I will not let you in with that poor girl in the state she is!" This was looking like it was turning into another argument until Harry opened the portrait hole from the inside and stuck his head out to see a very disgruntled Ron, with his mouth open in retaliation.

"Uh, you right there, Ron?"

"Thank Merlin you're here, mate! This … something … won't let me in!"

"But, why?"

" Never mind, I'll tell you inside." Ron said. He was no longer angry and it was replaced by shame. Poor Hermione. How could he have been so thoughtless towards her? She would never speak to him now. And the even more important thought in his mind was the fact that he now had no chance with her. Not that he had much of one before, but it still hurt to think of.

Now in such a state of depression, he was in no mood to talk to anyone. He muttered something about being tired and went up to bed before anyone could stop him. Harry knew something was up and it seemed to be worse than usual, so he waited awhile before going up himself. Sadly, it was not the first or the last time that he had found himself doing it.

A/N Yeah, I know it's really bad but if you review I can improve and not put any one else in the same pain that you must be in.


End file.
